The words made, maid sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Why do made, maid sound the same even though they are completely different words?
The answer is simple: made, maid are homophones of the English language.
Past tense and past participle of make.
Produced or manufactured by constructing, shaping, or forming. Often used in combination: handmade lace; ready-made suits.
Produced or created artificially: bought some made goods at the local store.
Having been invented; contrived: These made excuses of yours just won't wash.
An unmarried girl or woman.
A virgin.
A woman servant.
A housemaid or chambermaid.
Definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition and Wordnik.
Homophones (literally "same sound") are usually defined as words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of how they are spelled.
If they are spelled the same then they are also homographs (and homonyms); if they are spelled differently then they are also heterographs (literally "different writing").